It has been a while since we updated this outlook. When paying full attention to any area we forecast for, which I have been watching weather patterns for (the western US also) since the 1970's, I put my forecasts of weather events/ timing/ snow totals up against any, especially in the long range. We gained quite a reputation for our Tahoe and Utah forecasts over a span of almost 15 years, gaining the attention of TV stations who used the forecasts with no mention of source, a movie financier who wanted me to be a part of a "think tank" group of professionals, radio stations, etc. Even major growers/ ag interests were using these free forecasts (for the longer range accuracy of weather event timing and significance), as an accurate long range forecaster is the equivalent of a "fortune teller", as told to me by the movie financier. There are competitors who charge for their info, and we do not, even though our information is a paid service in other formats we continue to deliver to agriculture customers to this day (Circa 1995). As I stated, I put my forecasts up against anyone else's in the area.
We gave out over $50,000 in SWAG (lodging, tickets, passes, gear, even Nativa Naturals food) from 2009-2011, stuff we couldn't even afford to buy ourselves, to many people from SFO and SAC, TVL area. If you check my bio you will see my story, there is a LOT more to it than what I am typing here.
I have received many emails due to the missing updates. The answer is, we have not had any support from advertisers, resorts, anyone in this region since around 2013. I continued on with the forecasting hoping for some support in the form of advertising or sponsorship, but it didn't happen, and I do not know anyone else who works for free.
That said, I would like to get these forecast outlooks going again-->
I never charged the site user for this service. The skier/ snowboarder has enough to pay for with fuel, lift tickets and passes, gear, life, etc., and I feel it is a service that should be provided by the host, the resort, to its visitors, even if in the form of advertising on the site. I have the same awesome, nice traffic as the rest of the snow sports niche sites, but am not going to run Google ads so they can charge $20/ cpm and give us less than a dollar cpm.
That said... I watch Colorado as that is where the business is for me. Recently, Bogus Basin joined the client list and now we work up a complete custom forecast for them as well, with a long range outlook. I will be drawing from that already completed work to deliver you a broad-brush longer range outlook for the western US, for now. I hope it is useful for you:
LONGER RANGE: The 9th-10th of January another low pressure system moves in with good potential snowfall, significant snow for the west coast mainly, less as we move inland, southern areas favored like southwest US areas,The 11-12th (roughly) and then the 13th-20th of January, we expect unsettled conditions to continue dominating the western US (had this forecast for over a month, early Dec forecast for this mid-late Jan time frame), and we expect a prominent moisture tap from the tropics, as El Nino starts to show itself more... So basically, between the 9th and 20th, we expect many more storms to move through with snow for most western US resort areas, down south to including Southern California and even favoring the southwest US as a more southerly track seems more likely... This unsettled period should last into around the 18th-20th of January, then in the last part of Jan and early February (through the 8th of Feb maybe), we start off with a snow down time under more dominant high pressure ridging. More to come. CM

LONG RANGE FORECAST - JAN 05, 2019

It has been a while since we updated this outlook. When paying full attention to any area we forecast for, which I have been watching weather patterns for (the western US also) since the 1970's, I put my forecasts of weather events/ timing/ snow totals up against any, especially in the long range. We gained quite a reputation for our Tahoe and Utah forecasts over a span of almost 15 years, gaining the attention of TV stations who used the forecasts with no mention of source, a movie financier who wanted me to be a part of a "think tank" group of professionals, radio stations, etc. Even major growers/ ag interests were using these free forecasts (for the longer range accuracy of weather event timing and significance), as an accurate long range forecaster is the equivalent of a "fortune teller", as told to me by the movie financier. There are competitors who charge for their info, and we do not, even though our information is a paid service in other formats we continue to deliver to agriculture customers to this day (Circa 1995). As I stated, I put my forecasts up against anyone else's in the area.
We gave out over $50,000 in SWAG (lodging, tickets, passes, gear, even Nativa Naturals food) from 2009-2011, stuff we couldn't even afford to buy ourselves, to many people from SFO and SAC, TVL area. If you check my bio you will see my story, there is a LOT more to it than what I am typing here.
I have received many emails due to the missing updates. The answer is, we have not had any support from advertisers, resorts, anyone in this region since around 2013. I continued on with the forecasting hoping for some support in the form of advertising or sponsorship, but it didn't happen, and I do not know anyone else who works for free.
That said, I would like to get these forecast outlooks going again-->
I never charged the site user for this service. The skier/ snowboarder has enough to pay for with fuel, lift tickets and passes, gear, life, etc., and I feel it is a service that should be provided by the host, the resort, to its visitors, even if in the form of advertising on the site. I have the same awesome, nice traffic as the rest of the snow sports niche sites, but am not going to run Google ads so they can charge $20/ cpm and give us less than a dollar cpm.
That said... I watch Colorado as that is where the business is for me. Recently, Bogus Basin joined the client list and now we work up a complete custom forecast for them as well, with a long range outlook. I will be drawing from that already completed work to deliver you a broad-brush longer range outlook for the western US, for now. I hope it is useful for you:
LONGER RANGE: The 9th-10th of January another low pressure system moves in with good potential snowfall, significant snow for the west coast mainly, less as we move inland, southern areas favored like southwest US areas,The 11-12th (roughly) and then the 13th-20th of January, we expect unsettled conditions to continue dominating the western US (had this forecast for over a month, early Dec forecast for this mid-late Jan time frame), and we expect a prominent moisture tap from the tropics, as El Nino starts to show itself more... So basically, between the 9th and 20th, we expect many more storms to move through with snow for most western US resort areas, down south to including Southern California and even favoring the southwest US as a more southerly track seems more likely... This unsettled period should last into around the 18th-20th of January, then in the last part of Jan and early February (through the 8th of Feb maybe), we start off with a snow down time under more dominant high pressure ridging. More to come. CM

Mountain Summit Forecast

Friday

↑7° / ↓5°

Winds: NW 5 to 14 mph, then W 12 to 23 mph

Forecast Snow: 0"

AM

↑7° / ↓6°

Skies

Mostly cloudy before noon.

Snow

None expected through the morning.

Precipitation

None expected through the morning.

Winds

Morning winds near the top NW 5 to 14 mph with gusts up to 18 mph. Wind chill expected to be -23 to -10 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑7° / ↓5°

Skies

Partly cloudy becoming mostly clear with a few clouds through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

None expected.

Precipitation

None expected.

Winds

Afternoon winds near the top W 12 to 23 mph with gusts up to 26 mph. Expected wind chill to be -18 to -10 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 9,403ft

Saturday

↑10° / ↓5°

Winds: SW 20 to 32 mph, then W 23 to 35 mph

Forecast Snow: 1"

AM

↑7° / ↓5°

Skies

Clear becoming partly cloudy through the morning.

Snow

Snowfall expected to be a trace before noon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.05 inches

Winds

Morning winds near the top SW 20 to 32 mph with gusts up to 38 mph. Wind chill expected to be -21 to -18 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑10° / ↓6°

Skies

Mostly cloudy through the afternoon and evening. Expect periods of snow through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be a trace in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.03 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds near the top W 23 to 35 mph with gusts up to 39 mph. Expected wind chill to be -21 to -16 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 9,403ft

Sunday

↑19° / ↓11°

Winds: SW 25 to 37 mph, then SW 38 to 50 mph

Forecast Snow: 0"

AM

↑14° / ↓11°

Skies

Mostly cloudy before noon.

Snow

No snow in the morning hours.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.03 inches

Winds

Morning winds near the top SW 25 to 37 mph with gusts up to 39 mph. Expected wind chill to be -16 to -12 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑19° / ↓14°

Skies

Mostly cloudy becoming overcast through the afternoon and evening. Chance of snow in the evening.

Snow

Snowfall expected to be a dusting in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.03 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds near the top SW 38 to 50 mph with gusts up to 63 mph. Wind chill expected to be -12 to -8 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 9,403ft

Monday

↑25° / ↓19°

Winds: SW 36 to 48 mph, then SW 36 to 48 mph

Forecast Snow: 4"

AM

↑20° / ↓19°

Skies

Overcast through the morning. Chance of snow after daylight.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be 2 to 3 inches in the early morning, then another 2 to 3 inches before noon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.08 to 0.38 inches

Winds

Morning winds near the top SW 36 to 48 mph with gusts up to 52 mph. Expected wind chill to be -8 to -6 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑25° / ↓20°

Skies

Cloudy into the evening. Expect periods of snow through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be a dusting in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.05 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds near the top SW 36 to 48 mph with gusts up to 55 mph. Expected wind chill to be -6 to 1 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 9,403ft

Tuesday

↑24° / ↓21°

Winds: SW 44 to 56 mph, then variable 0 to 8 mph

Forecast Snow: 11"

AM

↑24° / ↓21°

Skies

Cloudy before noon. Chance of snow after daylight.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be 1 to 2 inches in the early morning followed by another 4 to 6 inches before noon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.13 to 0.63 inches

Winds

Morning winds near the top SW 44 to 56 mph with gusts up to 67 mph. Expected wind chill to be -6 to -1 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑24° / ↓21°

Skies

Cloudy into the evening. Expect periods of snow through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be 5 to 8 inches in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.14 to 0.68 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds near the top variable at 0 to 8 mph. Wind chill expected to be -6 to 0 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 9,403ft

Wednesday

↑26° / ↓22°

Winds: SW 30 to 42 mph, then variable 0 to 8 mph

Forecast Snow: 11"

AM

↑23° / ↓22°

Skies

Overcast through the morning. Chance of snow after daylight.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be 2 to 4 inches in the early morning, then another 3 to 5 inches before noon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.12 to 0.6 inches

Winds

Morning winds near the top SW 30 to 42 mph with gusts up to 53 mph. Wind chill expected to be -1 to 0 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑26° / ↓23°

Skies

Overcast into the evening. Expect periods of snow through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

Expected snowfall to be 5 to 8 inches in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.15 to 0.75 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds near the top variable at 0 to 8 mph. Wind chill expected to be -1 to 2 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 9,403ft

Mountain Base Forecast

Friday

↑17° / ↓8°

Winds: variable 3 to 10 mph, then SW 7 to 16 mph

Forecast Snow: 0"

AM

↑17° / ↓12°

Skies

Mostly cloudy before noon.

Snow

No snow.

Precipitation

No precipitation expected through the morning.

Winds

Morning winds around the base variable at 3 to 10 mph. Wind chill expected to be -10 to 7 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑17° / ↓8°

Skies

Partly cloudy becoming mostly clear with a few clouds through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

None expected.

Precipitation

None expected.

Winds

Afternoon winds around the base SW 7 to 16 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. Wind chill expected to be -10 to 5 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 6,535ft

Saturday

↑17° / ↓8°

Winds: SW 9 to 20 mph, then SW 13 to 25 mph

Forecast Snow: 1"

AM

↑16° / ↓8°

Skies

Clear becoming partly cloudy through the morning.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be a dusting before noon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.05 inches

Winds

Morning winds around the base SW 9 to 20 mph with gusts up to 27 mph. Expected wind chill to be -12 to -2 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑17° / ↓15°

Skies

Mostly cloudy through the afternoon and evening. Expect periods of snow through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be a trace in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.03 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds around the base SW 13 to 25 mph with gusts up to 33 mph. Expected wind chill to be -5 to -1 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 6,535ft

Sunday

↑27° / ↓16°

Winds: SW 12 to 23 mph, then SW 27 to 39 mph

Forecast Snow: 0"

AM

↑25° / ↓16°

Skies

Mostly cloudy before noon.

Snow

None expected.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.03 inches

Winds

Morning winds around the base SW 12 to 23 mph with gusts up to 31 mph. Wind chill expected to be -5 to 7 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑27° / ↓23°

Skies

Mostly cloudy becoming overcast through the afternoon and evening. Chance of snow in the evening.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be a trace amount in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.03 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds around the base SW 27 to 39 mph with gusts up to 43 mph. Expected wind chill to be 3 to 9 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 6,535ft

Monday

↑32° / ↓25°

Winds: SW 20 to 32 mph, then S 30 to 42 mph

Forecast Snow: 3"

AM

↑31° / ↓25°

Skies

Overcast before noon. Chance of snow after daylight.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be 1 to 2 inches in the early morning, then another 1 to 2 inches before noon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.08 to 0.38 inches

Winds

Morning winds around the base SW 20 to 32 mph with gusts up to 46 mph. Wind chill expected to be 3 to 12 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑32° / ↓31°

Skies

Overcast through the afternoon and evening. Expect periods of snow through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

Expected snowfall to be a dusting in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.01 to 0.05 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds around the base S 30 to 42 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Expected wind chill to be 10 to 13 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 6,535ft

Tuesday

↑33° / ↓30°

Winds: SW 30 to 42 mph, then variable 0 to 8 mph

Forecast Snow: 5"

AM

↑33° / ↓30°

Skies

Cloudy through the morning. Chance of snow after daylight.

Snow

Expected snowfall to be a trace amount in the early morning, then another 2 to 3 inches before noon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.13 to 0.63 inches

Winds

Morning winds around the base SW 30 to 42 mph with gusts up to 62 mph. Wind chill expected to be 9 to 13 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑32° / ↓30°

Skies

Overcast into the evening. Expect periods of snow through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

Expected snowfall to be 3 to 5 inches in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.14 to 0.68 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds around the base variable at 0 to 8 mph. Wind chill expected to be 12 to 14 degrees into the evening.

Hourly Temperatures at 6,535ft

Wednesday

↑34° / ↓29°

Winds: SW 13 to 25 mph, then variable 0 to 8 mph

Forecast Snow: 5"

AM

↑32° / ↓29°

Skies

Overcast through the morning. Chance of snow after daylight.

Snow

Snowfall expected to be 1 to 2 inches in the early morning followed by another 1 to 2 inches before noon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.12 to 0.6 inches

Winds

Morning winds around the base SW 13 to 25 mph with gusts up to 31 mph. Expected wind chill to be 11 to 15 degrees through the morning.

PM

↑34° / ↓32°

Skies

Cloudy through the afternoon and evening. Expect periods of snow through the afternoon and evening.

Snow

Snowfall forecasted to be 2 to 4 inches in the afternoon.

Precipitation

Potential Precip: 0.15 to 0.75 inches

Winds

Afternoon winds around the base variable at 0 to 8 mph. Wind chill expected to be 14 to 16 degrees into the evening.